Fall Photos in Western, NY
This is it.
The perfect time of year where everyone with a cell phone can capture stunning images of all the glorious colors the deciduous trees have to offer. It is fall in Western, NY. The Finger Lakes are reflecting the soft lighting while being inundated with oranges and reds, all to perfectly complement the scene. Letchworth State Park boasts of views bursting with vibrant fall hues while framing the spectacular views of waterfalls. It seems that anywhere you drive or walk you will experience the sights, the sounds, and the smells of true autumn bliss. This is my prime opportunity to take pictures of all that beauty that slaps us in the face every morning and evening.
Some of you know where this is going.
I’ve been out to take photos, but not nearly to the extent one would if they called themselves a photographer. To be fair (to be fair) I don’t typically call myself a photographer. Others do because they pay me money (or cookies) to take photos of them. While this is a valid argument in the positive of me being a photographer, I unfortunately have other duties to my name. Duties such as a very specific residence’s lawn mower and scooper of kitty litter. Oh, I’m also an Operations Manager for a local safety company. That along with being a husband and father, my plate is generally full.
The good news is that I’ve taken many fall photos in prior moons. Some, if I may say so myself, are representative of the glorious descriptions of autumn in New York listed above. The not so good news, I have yet to add to the collection and likely will not in the year 2024. That is ok, I have thousands of photos of my one-year-old that are also cute. The difference is that only my mother would pay actual money for those baby pictures. Wait … No, there is no difference.
Insert sad face.
However, I have been out to Letchworth State Park recently in the height of all the fall colors. As a local would, I took a trip out to the Castile Apple Farm and got the most unbelievable cider donuts. Then once I was fat and happy, I entered the park through the Castile entrance and hit Inspiration Point and the waterfalls. They are pretty, have fantastic views, and don’t require hiking. Welcome to the lazy man’s tour guide.
While at Inspiration Point (aptly named) you can catch a glimpse of Middle and Upper Falls from a distance down the gorge. One only needs to walk up to a structural cobblestone wall, point their camera at this view, and walk away with a sense of accomplishment. That photo will always look pretty because the view is … pretty. I never took a class in logic, but my achy knee gives me the impression this is the sort of logic that allows you to pass the final.
Watching people is fun.
It was almost comical. Standing there enjoying the view I could almost envision a turnstile where people would take turns taking their pictures. There was one specific spot along that wall that had the best visibility, the least amount of mud, and hordes of people surrounding it. One by one the person would snap a photo, and almost militaristically turn away to allow the next person in line to step up. If you took too long, people would begin to make judgmental faces like you were entitled or something. Oh well, the view was worth it.
I took my obligatory pictures of the view. I stood in the line, waited my turn, pointed my DSLR at the view and snapped a few photos. However, I’m not going to share any of those with you. Rude, I know. But that is far from the point of my writing. And why are we over 600 words into this post before getting to the point? Poor writing, that is how.
The point is that beautiful pictures can be captured anywhere.
Walking back from the proverbial turnstile of gorgeous views I noticed two things. One being the iconic lamppost that can be spotted in several areas around Letchworth. The second being a small pool of water rippled with the cool breeze of an autumn morning. However, it was the effect that the water had on the reflection of this lamppost that really caught my eye.
With the ripples in the water and the splashes of color from the fall leaves, this scene looked fake. Not in a bad way, but rather in an incredibly artistic way. The composition of my image simply made the lamppost look like a part of an oil painting. An effect you can easily adopt after a photo is taken with filters or third party apps was plainly visible on the display of my camera.
Now that was unexpected.
Standing about 20 feet from the most notorious view in all of Letchworth State Park, I took a photo looking the other way and staring straight down. I’m so glad I did.